North Woods Travelogue
Checking out the Maine Huts
Last weekend, I drove north with a group of exercising mothers who all live in or near my neighborhood. We bunked up in the Flagstaff Lake Maine Hut and spent the daylight snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. I didn’t know what to expect, so I thought it might be worth sharing a bit about the Maine Hut establishment in case you are inspired to check one of them out someday!
What are the Maine Huts?
The first of these four Maine Huts was built in 2008 after a team of outdoor enthusiasts broke trails in the Carrabassett Valley of northwestern Maine. They secured funding to construct off-the-grid eco-lodges that provide hospitality to through-skiers. In the winter months, the nonprofit hires staff to prepare three delicious, ample, and hot meals Thursday through Sunday (or bagged trail lunch, if you prefer). In the summer months (and Mondays through Wednesdays), the lodge is self-catering. This means carting in your own food, using the kitchen, and cleaning up after yourself.
They had me at prepared meals.
Launching logistics
My carpool drove up the night before we set out for the Hut, choosing the closest accommodations we could find, the Hillholm Estate in Kingfield, ME. It’s gone through some rebranding, Winter’s Hill, Santosha, etc. The building was large, warm, and inviting but depopulated. Throughout our stay, I saw two humans – fleetingly – and two aggressively friendly doodles. I never located the jacuzzi or sauna, and there were no yoga classes despite the yogarific website, but I did drink a lot of tea by the fire in the lounge. The inn was walkable to the small confluence of storefronts that make up the main drag of Kingfield. It was quintessential New England charm. Much of the drive past Portland was two-lane roads with an occasional village and river crossing, so Kingfield was a solid choice for lodging and dining.
From there, we set off for the trailhead on Long Falls Dam Rd where we left the car for the weekend. We strapped on snowshoes and set forth on one of the paths to the Hut, the Maine Hut Trail or the Shore Trail. The Maine Hut Trail is snowmobile-groomed for backcountry skis or snowshoes.
Bipedal modes of transport
Although I’ve never meaningfully snowshoed before, I’m familiar with the concept, but what the devil are backcountry skis? I learned to skate ski in high school and have a childhood memory of disliking classic skiing, but backcountry skis are something different — they’re wider than typical classic-style skis with scales on the bottom (no wax) and metal edges. They’re meant to be used on poorly or ungroomed trails and don’t need the wider, groomed trails you’d expect from a ski center for skate skiing. Duly noted. Process of elimination left me with borrowed snowshoes for the duration.
Can I describe for you the joy that is trekking through the woods on uneven snow-covered terrain in snowshoes? The Shore Trail, which I highly recommend, hugged the perimeter of the frozen Flagstaff Lake, giving vistas that made you imagine you were even more remotely situated than you were. No sounds of traffic. No dog poop. No litter. Just you making your way in the woods. It was glorious, gleeful, and cold!
Eco-Hut deets
The Hut itself was attractive – a large wooden lodge with an unattached annex of heated bunk rooms. It is located just over two miles up the trail from the parking area on the shore of the lake. The temperatures dipped below zero during our stay, but truthfully, the radiant floor heat, my woolen undergarments, and some HotHands toe warmers kept me reasonably comfortable. The buildings are powered by solar panels and a supplemental propane-generator. The staff explained that they were a few lithium batteries and one solar panel array short from not needing the generator anymore. The indoor toilets are fully composting and odorless. There’s running water and heated showers, a fireplace, puzzles, cards, books, and lots of dining tables and chairs. The spaces were clean and appealing, and the staff were super friendly and accommodating. You could interrupt them at any point to buy an alcoholic beverage or cookie from the cookie jar – activities I engaged in happily. The food was vegetarian friendly, filling, and totally yummy. They solicited food allergy information and planned meals accordingly. The morning coffee cake was so out of this world, I pestered the chef for the recipe!
During the day, we went on out-and-back excursions of various lengths on the Maine Hut Trail. Some day-hikers came to the Hut for lunch and left before dinner. Before sunset, I ambled onto the frozen lake, marveling at how desert-like it seemed. The day passed by unhurriedly without cell service. Despite the frigid air, I luxuriated in how well-insulated I was from the very many bad things happening in the world.
Gear shuttle for the win!
Were I to return to the Maine Huts, I’d spend the day travelling from one Hut to the next and settle into the new Hut for dinner and lodging. With prior arrangement, there’s a scheduled gear shuttle for dragging packs between the parking areas and Huts.
Tl;dr
Maine Huts & Trails are cool and distinct from the similarly named AMC Huts. The executive director told me a lot of Mainers don’t even know about them, so get in on this thing!
There are three huts in operation. The fourth, Grand Falls, is closed for repairs
Flagstaff Lake Hut has almost no elevation change between the parking area and the Hut.
Located about 3 miles from the trailheads, both Poplar Stream Hut and Stratton Brook Hut require some climbing.
Trail maps for planning routes
If it’s gotta be winter, there may as well be snow. And you may as well gear up.
This was my first use of toe warmers – pretty great!
I also brought my super light down blanket to layer on top of my sleeping bag, and I was glad for it.
Wool clothing – shirt, sweater, long johns, and socks! I’ll stop with the hyperlinks, but suffice it to say, I have faves.
Coffee cake is delicious!
It’s nice to turn off one’s digital reality by going into the woods.
Blue-blazed snowshoe trail
